Wind-downs and transitions
HubSpot portal at shutdown: what to export before you downgrade
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
Before you cancel or downgrade HubSpot, export every object with its associations, then export activities such as calls, notes and logged emails separately, because HubSpot's standard record export does not include them. HubSpot's terms recommend retrieving data before the subscription ends, and for most hubs there is no access after termination.
Key takeaways
- A HubSpot record export carries current property values and associations, not the activity timeline.
- Calls, notes and other activities need their own export method, so plan a separate engagements job.
- For hubs other than Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise, HubSpot's terms provide no access to customer data after termination.
- Export at your current tier before downgrading, because lower tiers can switch off objects and tools your team relied on.
- Keep record IDs in every file so contacts, companies, deals and activities can be joined again later.
What should you export from HubSpot before you cancel or downgrade?#
Before canceling or downgrading HubSpot, export every CRM object, the associations between them, the activity history and the configuration that explains how the portal worked. A founder or RevOps lead who exports only contacts keeps a mailing list and loses the sales history.
HubSpot's knowledge base says a record export includes the records' current property values and associations, and that exporting requires export permissions. It also says activities such as calls and notes must be exported with a separate method. Those two facts set the plan: object exports first, an engagements export second, configuration third.
The object-by-object export checklist#
The HubSpot object checklist below runs from core records to configuration. Mark a row done only after the file has been opened and its row count compared with the portal.
Configuration is the pass most often skipped. Workflows, lead scoring rules, deal stage definitions and team assignments explain why records look the way they do. Capture them in a short written record with screenshots, because after a downgrade or cancellation the portal is the only place they were ever described.
| Object | What to export | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | All properties, owner, lifecycle stage, associations | Personal data; keep consent and subscription status fields |
| Companies | All properties and parent-child links | Duplicates merged over the years |
| Deals | Pipeline, stage, close date, close reason, associations | Stages renamed over time; export pipeline definitions too |
| Tickets | Pipeline, status, owner, associations | Service history that links back to deals and companies |
| Activities | Calls, notes, meetings, tasks, logged emails | Needs a separate method from the record export |
| Custom objects | Records and their associations | Tier-dependent; export before any downgrade |
| Products, quotes and line items | Catalog and quote history | Line items tie revenue to products |
| Properties and pipelines | Field definitions, options, stage names | Without them, internal values are hard to read later |
| Files and templates | File manager contents, email templates, sequences | Attachments referenced from records and emails |
- 01Your work records
- 02Personal details removed
- 03You approve the release
- 04Licensed to AI developers
Why engagements need their own export#
Engagements are HubSpot's activity records, such as calls, notes, meetings, tasks and logged emails, and they hold most of the history worth keeping. A deal record says a contract closed; the notes and emails around it show the objections, concessions and handoffs that got it there.
Because activities do not travel with the standard record export, plan a dedicated job using HubSpot's activity export method or an API-based tool. Keep each activity's ID, timestamp, type, owner and every associated record ID, so the timeline can be rebuilt around contacts, companies, deals and tickets.
Then check two things in the output: that logged emails include bodies, not only subjects, and that call records include notes and any recording or transcript links added by a telephony integration. Links that point back into the portal will not work after termination, so download what you need to keep.
What happens to HubSpot data after termination?#
HubSpot data access after termination depends on the hub, and for most hubs it ends with the subscription. HubSpot's Product Specific Terms strongly recommend retrieving customer data before the subscription term ends.
| Situation | What HubSpot's terms or help pages say | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Hub Professional or Enterprise | A written request within 30 days after termination gets temporary access to, or copies of, customer data then held | Treat it as a backstop, not a plan |
| Sales, Service, CMS, Operations and other hubs | No access to customer data after termination or expiration | Finish and verify exports before the term ends |
| Help retrieving data during the term | Reasonable assistance, at the customer's cost | Ask early if the portal is large or heavily customized |
| Records deleted by mistake | Most records and activities can be restored for up to 90 days after deletion | Check the recycle bin before final exports |
Downgrade or cancel: which keeps more?#
A HubSpot downgrade keeps the portal alive at a lower tier while a cancellation ends access, but a downgrade is not a free archive. Features tied to higher tiers, such as custom objects, sequences or advanced reporting, can stop working after the change, so export at your current tier first.
A downgrade makes sense when someone still needs live look-ups during the wind-down, for warranty questions or collections, and the lower tier keeps the objects involved. It also keeps an admin who can rerun an export. When nobody needs live look-ups, a verified export in company storage is usually cheaper to hold.
- Which objects and properties the target tier still supports.
- Whether workflows, sequences and custom objects stop after the change.
- How many seats with export permission remain.
- Who will hold the super admin role after staff leave.
- The date the current term ends and any notice period in the order form.
Illustrative: an estimating software company closes its sales team#
Illustrative: a fictional company that sells estimating software to specialty contractors is winding down after a failed sale. Its HubSpot portal holds years of contacts, companies, deals across two pipelines and support tickets, with sales calls and notes logged on most deals.
The RevOps lead exports each object with associations, then runs a separate activity export. A sample check shows logged emails arrived with bodies, but call recordings are links into the portal. The team downloads the recordings tied to open customer disputes and records which ones it chose not to keep.
Because the company holds Sales Hub and Service Hub, the terms give no access after termination. The founder rejects a downgrade, keeps the current tier until the final month of the term, and cancels only after the exports are verified and stored with a field dictionary built from the property definitions.
Rights questions before CRM records leave the portal#
CRM records hold other people's details and other companies' commercial information, so preserving them and using them later are separate decisions. HubSpot's terms define customer data as the information you submit or collect through the service, and HubSpot's developer changelog says its updated terms state that customer data belongs to the customer.
Ownership is not the only question. HubSpot's updated developer terms restrict using data accessed through HubSpot APIs to train or improve AI models, with a carve-out for single-customer use cases. If an API-based tool runs your export and you later consider licensing, have counsel read those terms against your facts, along with your privacy notice, customer contracts and email consent records.
How SourceX approaches CRM archives#
SourceX treats a HubSpot archive as one candidate record family among several and assesses it first on metadata: objects held, years covered, how activities link to outcomes and known restrictions. Nothing is sent to SourceX during that fit check.
When a package proceeds, the SourceX five-step transaction runs Supply, Rights, Preparation, Approval and Delivery. Rights covers the contract and consent questions above, Preparation removes personal and confidential details, and the company approves the final scope. Records are licensed, not sold outright, so the company keeps ownership, and the SourceX Evidence Packet records what was approved and on what authority.
Frequently asked questions
Who on our team can run HubSpot exports?
Only users with export permissions, according to HubSpot's knowledge base. In a wind-down, confirm early that at least two current staff hold that permission and that someone current holds the super admin role, so exports do not stall when one person leaves. Record who ran each export and when.
Do marketing emails and campaign results need exporting?
Usually, if you want a full history. Marketing email content, send dates and engagement results show how the company communicated with customers. Export the performance reports and save the email content itself, since a contact export shows subscription status, not what was sent.
What file format should HubSpot exports use?
CSV or XLSX files work for objects if you keep record IDs and association columns. Store activity exports alongside them, plus property and pipeline definitions as a separate data dictionary. Without that dictionary, internal values such as stage IDs are hard to interpret later.
Can we delete contacts before exporting to reduce privacy risk?
Deleting first removes evidence you may need for disputes, tax questions or customer requests. Export first, then apply your retention schedule. HubSpot lets most deleted records be restored for up to 90 days, but permanent and privacy-request deletions skip that recycle bin.
Is CRM history useful for anything beyond legal retention?
It can be. Deal notes, call logs and support tickets that connect a request to a decision and an outcome are the kind of operational record some AI developers license. Whether a portal qualifies depends on depth, rights and preparation effort, assessed case by case.
Sources
- Exporting records requires export permissions and includes current property values and associations; activities such as calls and notes must be exported with a separate method. Source
- For Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise, a written request within 30 days after termination gets temporary access or copies of Customer Data; for other hubs there is no access after termination; HubSpot strongly recommends retrieving data before the term ends and gives reasonable assistance during the term at the customer's cost. Source
- Deleted records and activities can be restored for up to 90 days after deletion, after which they are permanently deleted. Source
- HubSpot's Customer Terms of Service define Customer Data as all information submitted or collected via the Subscription Service. Source
- HubSpot's updated Developer Terms restrict using data accessed through HubSpot APIs to train, fine-tune or improve AI models, with a carve-out for single-customer use cases, and state that customer data belongs to the customer. Source
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